TAMPA, Fla. — It’s not even a 12 months outdated, however a meals pantry in downtown Tampa is already making an affect.
Funded by Feeding Tampa Bay, The Clerk’s Table pantry is operated by Hillsborough County Clerk of Court Cindy Stuart and her workers.
“This is good work,” stated Stuart. “It’s just an opportunity for us to serve the community differently.”
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The pantry was launched final December as a useful resource to help workers from the clerk’s workplace who’re battling meals insecurity. Since then, Stuart realized that many different public servants within the space are going through the identical wrestle as inflation soars.
“I don’t know if anybody’s priced meat or eggs — things are high,” Stuart defined. “We’re all government agencies, and even though we are upwards of $15 an hour and paying that minimum by statute and probably paying a little bit more, in today’s economy, that doesn’t get you very far.”
So, as of this summer time, the main focus of The Clerk’s Table pantry has now expanded to help more public servants, including these from the State Attorney’s Office, Public Defender’s Office, thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, City of Tampa, and Hillsborough County authorities.
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Last week, it formally partnered with Hillsborough County Public Schools to supply its companies to district workers.
“We have an open-door policy here, and there’s no sign-up required,” stated Stuart. “This is just our way of saying, ‘Here’s a little something if you get in a bind. Feel free, anonymously or not, to come and shop in the pantry and take what you need at any time.’”
The pantry is open day by day from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. or by appointment. The downtown Tampa location is at 407 N. East Street.
Stuart stated meals may also be offered by her workplace at its satellite locations in Brandon (311 Pauls Drive, Suite 110) and Plant City (301 North Michigan Ave, Room 1071) areas.
So far, Feeding Tampa Bay has helped The Clerk’s Table serve 701 people and 344 kids because it opened in Dec. 2021.
According to the Clerk’s Office, workers shall be requested to fill out a web-based kind (as discreetly as potential) that lists what number of members of the family they’ve and the kinds of meals desired. The workplace additionally offers pantry items for anybody who visits the Edgecomb Courthouse to file for home violence injunctions and might have help.